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Vasovagal Syncope w/ No Known Cause
Hi,
I am a 29 year old female who has been diagnosed as having vasovagal syncope for about 2 years now. The problem I am having is I have numerous other symptoms and no answers. On a day to day basis I am struggling with numbness in fingers and feet as well as sometimes in legs and a lot on my right side of my face. I have been to a cardiologist who implanted a loop monitor and found my heart rate goes tatrachardic numerous times throughout the day even while sleeping. I am seeing a neuorogist and go in for autonomic testing on the 30th. Sometimes I wake up soaked with sweat and totally wiped out and worry that I may actually be having fainting episodes at night as well as during the day. Iam currently pregnant and many tests cannot be done as such as a bdoy scan and follow up MRI because I haven't had one in over a year. The issue I have is there seems to be no trigger causing my fainting spells it doesn't occur during pain or sickness or stress it just occurs a lot and with no specific cause. I have fainted sitting or standing and so now I am unable to drive at all or even take a walk by myself. On top of all this I am normally a very active woman butI am so fatigued after being awake for two hours I feel as if I need a nap. I have a seven year old boy and I cannot enjoy any of the activities we used to love together baseball, soccer etc. I do try and then 10 minutes into it I feel as if I am going to collapse. I have had an EEG and MRI of the brain and both showed no major discrepancies. My blood pressure is very low so they have me on 4 500 mg salt tablets daily but I still get dizzy constantly. I now know the warnings and try to immdeiately get flat when I feel a spell coming on. Sometimes it doesn't always work. I have pain alot throughout my neck and legs as well as the numbness. My balance is off but not all of the time but I do find myslef walking in to walls a lot. I have already had severe trauma to my face and head after a couple instances where stitches were needed and I was hospitlized for 4 days on two seperate occasions. I have had a lot of pain in my legs and just got an ultrasound for blood clots last week which came back normal. They say I didn't have a seizure but I have had a couple episodes where I could hear everything around me but not speak and my body went limp with tremors and my eyes were darting left to right but I couldn't see. It was very unlike my other fainiting spells where I just dropped in mid sentence and was out cold. This time I could hear everything but could not move, see or talk. I had been tested last year for numerous deficiencies after one spell I lost 37 pounds. The weird thing is I am very petite and had gained weight then lost it in a matter of 2 weeks. I dropped down to 100 pounds and no matter how much I ate I couldn't get the wight back on. I lost 9 lbs during my first trimester of pregnancy which scared me because I had finally put on some weight and was back to 114lbs then dropped it again. I have gained 3 lbs back in past 3 weeks thankfully but I sm so nervous. I want my life back and I can't seem to get any answers. I was put on florinef before pregnancy but was still fainting and having dizziness issues. Scared and confused please help.
I am a 29 year old female who has been diagnosed as having vasovagal syncope for about 2 years now. The problem I am having is I have numerous other symptoms and no answers. On a day to day basis I am struggling with numbness in fingers and feet as well as sometimes in legs and a lot on my right side of my face. I have been to a cardiologist who implanted a loop monitor and found my heart rate goes tatrachardic numerous times throughout the day even while sleeping. I am seeing a neuorogist and go in for autonomic testing on the 30th. Sometimes I wake up soaked with sweat and totally wiped out and worry that I may actually be having fainting episodes at night as well as during the day. Iam currently pregnant and many tests cannot be done as such as a bdoy scan and follow up MRI because I haven't had one in over a year. The issue I have is there seems to be no trigger causing my fainting spells it doesn't occur during pain or sickness or stress it just occurs a lot and with no specific cause. I have fainted sitting or standing and so now I am unable to drive at all or even take a walk by myself. On top of all this I am normally a very active woman butI am so fatigued after being awake for two hours I feel as if I need a nap. I have a seven year old boy and I cannot enjoy any of the activities we used to love together baseball, soccer etc. I do try and then 10 minutes into it I feel as if I am going to collapse. I have had an EEG and MRI of the brain and both showed no major discrepancies. My blood pressure is very low so they have me on 4 500 mg salt tablets daily but I still get dizzy constantly. I now know the warnings and try to immdeiately get flat when I feel a spell coming on. Sometimes it doesn't always work. I have pain alot throughout my neck and legs as well as the numbness. My balance is off but not all of the time but I do find myslef walking in to walls a lot. I have already had severe trauma to my face and head after a couple instances where stitches were needed and I was hospitlized for 4 days on two seperate occasions. I have had a lot of pain in my legs and just got an ultrasound for blood clots last week which came back normal. They say I didn't have a seizure but I have had a couple episodes where I could hear everything around me but not speak and my body went limp with tremors and my eyes were darting left to right but I couldn't see. It was very unlike my other fainiting spells where I just dropped in mid sentence and was out cold. This time I could hear everything but could not move, see or talk. I had been tested last year for numerous deficiencies after one spell I lost 37 pounds. The weird thing is I am very petite and had gained weight then lost it in a matter of 2 weeks. I dropped down to 100 pounds and no matter how much I ate I couldn't get the wight back on. I lost 9 lbs during my first trimester of pregnancy which scared me because I had finally put on some weight and was back to 114lbs then dropped it again. I have gained 3 lbs back in past 3 weeks thankfully but I sm so nervous. I want my life back and I can't seem to get any answers. I was put on florinef before pregnancy but was still fainting and having dizziness issues. Scared and confused please help.
Hello and thank you for your kindness. Yes this was occuring way before my pregnancy but now new symptoms. The fainting has gotten a little better now that I made it past first trimester as the doctors predicted but I am still constantly dizzy and the numbness has gotten much worse. Unfortunatly they feel the pregnancy will help with the fainting but that after baby it will come back as my blood volume decreases again. Ijust feel so run down everyday. It is tough because during my first pregnancy I almost felt as if I had more energy and I am so excited about the baby but just nervous about being so tired all the time. I haven't posted it on the expert forum I was thinking of doing that still learning how the website works. I am seeing an autonomic specialist out of Beth Israel but many tests cannot be run due to pregnancy so it is basically a waiting game. Thank you again.
Thank you so much for your response. I am only 15 weeks along. Over past couple weeks the fainiting has improved but still having major dizziness and the numbness and pain has gotten worse. They said the pregnancy will probably help my fainting because as you said the increased blood volume should help my blood pressure increase. They have mentioned bed rest but speaking more towards later in pregnancy more due to the fatigue because I have severe fatigue now and have for about 6 months. I am on short term disability from work now due to the dr's orders to rest and because of the overwhleming amount of doctors apointments I have. I just want to be normal again and be able to enjoy my son and the new baby to come. I feel as if everyday there is a new symptom with no cause or explanation.
I can't help you at all but I just wanted to say I am so sorry for you having to go through this! Since you said this has been going on for 2 yrs. now I know not all of it was caused from the pregnancy. It was my first diagnostic cause also. Has it been worse since being pregnant? Hopefully as dolfnlvr has said, it will get better when the pregnancy is over. When are you due? Again I am so sorry you are missing out on your son right now. I pray you get better real soon! PS: Have you posted this on the Expert Forum? Maybe one of the Drs. who help people on here can give you some info. It would be worth it to find out!
Pregnancy can cause several hormonal shifts that directly affect cardiac function and sympathetic nervous system function. On top of that, as the baby grows, he/she can push your abdominal organs against your vagal nerve causing yet further complications with blood pressure and orthostatic hypo/hypertension.
I have vasovagal syndrome. I've had many of the fainting spells and mild associated siezures that can accompany the disorder. My heart rate becomes severely bradycardic and my BP bottoms out to nothing right before I pass out. During pregnancy, my blood volume increased enough to improve my BP and keep me "conscious" throughout, but there was much concern during that time.
The numbness and tachycardia are symptoms that I've heard described on the autonomic dysfunction site. I forget what the "diagnosis" was though, so you may want to hop over there and post your questions as well. You may find some help there that is not necessarily available here.
How far along are you? I am hoping/thinking that once you deliver you will likely see some improvement within a month or so...once your hormones level off and your uterus shrinks to its normal size.
As for what to do? I would think that you may find yourself on bedrest soon. Remaining in a relaxed position with your feet elevated (to increase core BP) and with an intravenous saline solution to maintain blood volume and BP would help keep you from passing out so often. Has your ob/gyn suggested this yet?
Please keep us informed.
Take care....
I have vasovagal syndrome. I've had many of the fainting spells and mild associated siezures that can accompany the disorder. My heart rate becomes severely bradycardic and my BP bottoms out to nothing right before I pass out. During pregnancy, my blood volume increased enough to improve my BP and keep me "conscious" throughout, but there was much concern during that time.
The numbness and tachycardia are symptoms that I've heard described on the autonomic dysfunction site. I forget what the "diagnosis" was though, so you may want to hop over there and post your questions as well. You may find some help there that is not necessarily available here.
How far along are you? I am hoping/thinking that once you deliver you will likely see some improvement within a month or so...once your hormones level off and your uterus shrinks to its normal size.
As for what to do? I would think that you may find yourself on bedrest soon. Remaining in a relaxed position with your feet elevated (to increase core BP) and with an intravenous saline solution to maintain blood volume and BP would help keep you from passing out so often. Has your ob/gyn suggested this yet?
Please keep us informed.
Take care....
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